Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Katamari creator unhappy

Doesn't love his own sequel.

Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi has gone on record to state that he was coerced into making a sequel to the game against his better judgement (again) - and that he's not entirely pleased with the finished product.

"I didn't want players to be disappointed so I decided to take part," Takahashi told the BBC News website.

"There are fun things are in the game, though I am not happy with all of it."

Back in September, you may recall, Takahashi said he had had no intention of doing a sequel and only agreed to after Namco threatened to make a hideous Christmas-themed version - which was "against everything I wanted to do with Katamari."

And so, he was forced to get involved to ensure they didn't muck it all up - the end result being We Love Katamari, due out in Europe early next year.

It sounds like Takahashi is a bit disenchanted with the games industry in general, too: "Developers want to come up with fun games but ideas are judged by their sales potential," he told the BBC.

"The reality is that decisions are driven by sales and marketing."

In fact, Takahashi is so fed up that he's planning to retire: "In ten years time, I am not going to be making games any more," he said. So what's he going to do instead?

"I would like to create a playground for children. A normal playground is flat but I want an undulating one, with bumps."

Bagsy first on the swings...